Dinosaur Found at Suncor in 2011 Named After Royal Tyrrell Technician

New species of armoured dinosaur, named Borealopelta markmitchellii, found at Suncor's Millenium Mine in 2011 named after Royal Tyrrell Museum technician Mark Mitchell. // Photo supplied by GOA

A new species of armored dinosaur found near Fort McMurray has a new name.

The 110-million-year-old dino, discovered in 2011 at the Suncor Millennium Mine, will now be called Borealopelta markmitchellii.

It’s being named after Mark Mitchell the Royal Tyrrell Museum technician who worked on the fossil over the past six years. Over that time, he worked around 7,000 hours on the fossil.

“To be honoured in this fashion is a testament to the high-calibre work of staff at the museum and the level of excellence they achieve in the field of paleontology,” said Ricardo Miranda, Minister of Culture and Tourism, in a release. “My congratulations to Mark Mitchell and all museum staff, who worked tirelessly on this dinosaur. We are fortunate to have such talent and excellence here in Alberta contributing to the global paleontological record and preserving our provincial history.”

Paleontologists are calling the fossil the world’s best-preserved armored dinosaur while being one of the best fossils ever found.

They’re also estimating it to be about 5.5 metres long, 1.8 metres wide and weighing around 1.5 tonnes. However, only two-thirds of the fossil was salvaged.

The B. Markmitchellii is the centerpiece of the Royal Tyrrell Museum’s new exhibit “Grounds for Discovery” which is open to the public.